1. The Field of the Art
The present invention relates to simplified wiring layout for use in constructing homes or buildings, but preferably homes.
2. Description of the related art
Wiring used in conventional homes is haphazard and random. Separate wires are used for electrical power, telephone lines, security systems, intercoms, doorbells, and television reception, for example. FIG. 1 illustrates a wall section for a conventional home. Romex wire 12 for power, security cable 14, HVAC cable 16, telephone wire 18 and doorbell cable 20 all require separate installation. This results in high installation costs. Once plasterboard is placed over the wall section, it is difficult to know where the wires are located. As such, if electrical problems occur, it is very difficult to determine where the problem is.
A previous approach to solve this problem was proposed by the present assignee. A single ribbon cable was used for transferring electrical power, both AC and DC, digital data communications, telephone signals, television signals, and stereo signals. It was proposed to run this ribbon cable from a central location to the various rooms in a home. This cable, because it would be able to carry all necessary services, would then eliminate the need for separate installations of the various types of wiring in a home. An example of one cable proposed for this purpose is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,536.
Furthermore, at the central location, a microcomputer based control system would control all of the functional systems in a home. These functions included electrical switching, gas switching, security, heat regulation, and digital data communication between appliances possessing the ability to receive and transfer digital data. One key feature of this system is what has been termed "closed loop" electrical power, which is intended to connote that electrical power would not be delivered to an appliance or even an electrical outlet until certain conditions existed, and would only continue to supply power while these conditions continued. This made the AC power distribution much safer. Such a system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/126,794, filed Dec. 1, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,217, and is expressly incorporated by reference.
Although it has been determined that a microcomputer based control system and a uniform wiring system is desirable, it has been determined that using a single ribbon cable to transfer all the signals from the central location to the various locations in a house was still labor intensive in the initial installation. The ribbon cable such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,536 was very bulky and unwieldy. Extra large holes in wall studs were required, and it was difficult to bend around corners and other places. Furthermore, noise problems existed that made the transmission of certain signals difficult. In view of these problems, a more efficient wiring layout was needed.